California settles heat-death lawsuits, agrees to improve
Source: AP
By AMANDA LEE MYERS
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Family members of two farm workers who died from suspected heat-related illnesses and a labor union have settled their lawsuits against California on the condition that the state do more to ensure laborers are safe when temperatures rise.
The lawsuits, filed in 2009 and 2012, accused the state of repeatedly failing to protect farm workers being denied basic access to water and shade while working in extreme heat in California fields.
The state estimates that 14 farm workers died from heat-related illnesses in the state between 2005 and 2013, though the United Farm Workers labor union says the figure is closer to 30. One worker who died was 17 years old.
Under terms of the settlement, reached last month and obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday, the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health is agreeing to improve enforcement of newly enhanced safety regulations.
FULL story at link.
That 17 year old in the story was Maria. It was called "Black October". I posted her story in Oct 2010: Her name was Maria, 17 and expecting when she died (they refused to take her to the hospital): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9261132
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c5ced65aa39b446186e907f2030f59de/california-settles-heat-death-lawsuits-agrees-improve
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Our expectation must become that all people are treated humanely.
